Why getContentPane() ??

Why getContentPane() for the Swing components to be added to the frame? Why can't we simply add the components directly like in the case of AWT components? The method returns Container object instead of JComponent which is the super class of all Swing Components. WHY?

The Swing JFrame is much more sophisticated than the AWT Frame. The content pane wasn't merely inserted to cause programming inconvenience but to permit more precise programmatic specification of the UI construction and enable addition of capabilities not present in the AWT. Instead of repeating this material, I've provided links to articles which attempt to explain the content pane and its role in the JFrame design. I hope they are of assistance to you.

My speculation about Container use:
While JComponent is subclass of Container, most swing components would not let you to add something to them. So, use of Container instead of JComponent is a hint that you can add components there.

As for add(), I don't understand why can't it be shortcut to getContentPane().add(). But the only thing we can do is use JFrame in a way it's supposed to be used.

I thought it's a crazy idea to call JButton.add(). I was wrong. JButton appears to have FlowLayout inside and adds components. JTextArea appears to have null layout, but still adds components. Don't know what JComboBox does to component I trying to add. Let's say that in general result of JComponent.add() is undefined.

I still feel that most JComonents are not supposed to contain other components, that's why Container looks like a better hint... It was really fun to find that JComponent subclasses Container when I was learning swing.

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The method returns Container object instead of JComponent which is the super class of all Swing Components. WHY?

Because in case you want to set ur own ContentPane, you might want to use, say, CellRendererPane, which is not derived from JComponent. JComponent implements some functionalities a content pane doesn't need, that's why you rather use its subclass.
If I asked what it takes to make a forest, you'd say 'trees', not 'oaks'. Same thing here.

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Answered by: jim_cakalic
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